- Email: [email protected]
Successful staff development: A how-to-do-it manual
their approach to ones based on the application of the SERVQUAL, an instrument developed by marketing researchers L. Berry, A. Parasuraman, and V. Zeithmal, and attracting considerable research interest across service industries, including libraries. The SERVQUAL developers offer a set of core customer criteria to measure service quality regardless of service industry. In contrast, Hernon and Altman base their measurement framework on case studies. From a series of focus group interviews, surveys, and feedback sessions, they propose that service quality in academic libraries refers to product, service environment, and service delivery. An evolved framework (Table 4.3) suggests the most important dozen variables to measure these factors, based on votes from participants in their study. Staff morale and workload are linked as important input measures which, in turn, affect service quality. The authors recommend that customers define quality, but that librarians select critical service elements important to the local setting which will be evaluated for quality, based on what seems most relevant for improvement efforts. The vulnerability of this approach may be the librarians’ blindness, intentional or not, to what customers think should be most important areas for improvement. Service Quality in Academic Libraries is the first monograph, written by library educators, to advocate the need to shift evaluation practices in library and information science, from counting library input and output performance measures, to identifying customer-centered impact and service areas needing improvement. As the authors note, the key question becomes, “To what extent do/should/can libraries offer what customers value?” (p. 60-61). The authors anchor, by implication, their approach to measure service quality to the theoretical principles of the pioneers in service quality research. These principles stress the essentialness of customer responsive criteria for quality and the linkage of customer expectations and perceptions. The earliest developed theoretical model, identified by this reviewer, to incorporate this disconfirmation of expectation approach to evaluating library services is described in the report of a three-year study conducted by marketing faculty in two British academic libraries (C. Oldman & G. Wills, The Beneficial Library. Bradford, England: MCB Books, 1977). Though not referenced here, this work also advocates a shift away from traditional library management research to evaluate the value (or quality) of a library in terms of the benefit gained by the user. Released almost simultaneously to Service Quality in Academic Libraries, an issue of Library Trends (Winter 1996), edited by Thomas W. Shaughnessy, also is devoted to quality in libraries; it gathers several articles probing the challenges of the paradigm shift of the quality movement as related to libraries, but stops short of identifying specific research-based methodologies as Hemon and Altman have introduced for academic libraries. Hemon and Altman advocate managing a library to improve its service to customers. They recommend evaluating customer-defined outcomes as an internal diagnostic process, and utilizing this process to direct improvements to service quality. As the authors note, in contrast, other books attempting to measure library services, such as, for example, Measuring Academic Library Per$ormance by Nancy A.Van House, Beth T. Weil, and Charles R. McClure (Chicago: American Library Association, 1990), emphasize quantifiable techniques to gather data on various performance measures as the basis of communicating accountability to institutional administrators, or as the basis for comparative rankings among peers. Hemon and
Altman also suggest development of a service quality information system which tells managers how and how well the library serves its customers. Three chapters address practical procedures to create such a system. A short chapter introduces key concepts of survey research and practical procedures for data collection. The authors’ two customer survey instruments are included in the appendices. Two additional chapters discuss responsibilities of service providers to monitor quality improvements, and offer specific instructions and several forms to collect data on such service aspects as, for example, staff interaction, physical surroundings, reshelving time, and the online catalog. This practical guidance is unique in offering librarians a focus on service elements in terms of their responsiveness to customers and by encouraging all library staff to take responsibility for service quality. It highlights many of the principles and techniques directed to build customer satisfaction programs appearing in the business marketing literature, as, for example, are found in the comprehensive, yet concise, AMA Handbook for Customer Satisfaction by Alan Dutka (Lincolnwood, IL: NTC Business Books and the American Marketing Association, 1994). Very readable and informative, Service Quality in Academic Libraries calls both for change toward greater recognition that the customer is critical to service quality, and for leadership to implement this needed shift in approach to managing academic libraries. The only book available within the library literature which currently makes such appeals, this is a strongly recommended introduction for librarians, or text for students, seeking to understand managerial applications from successful business trends. -Danuta A. Nitecki, Associate Director for Public Services, University of Maryland at College Park Libraries, College Park, MD 20742-7011. Successful Staff Development: A How-to-Do-It Manual, by Marcia Trotta. New York: Neal-Schuman, 1995. 112~. $39.95. ISBN l-.55570- 180-9. This volume is designed for public library managers who want to offer ongoing in-house staff development. Staff development is defined as “the ongoing process that orients, trains, and develops, through a systematic approach, each member of a library organization to work together to serve its customers.” Chapter topics range from beginning a staff development program to evaluating staff performance and rewarding effective performance. Needs assessment, characteristics of adult leamers, selection of trainers, mentor relationships, estimation of costs for development programs, and other topics germane to staff development issues are all touched on in these pages. Forms and handouts from the author’s own experience make up a significant portion of the book. The author states that the solutions which she offers for ongoing staff development are based on her successful experiences; however, she never tells us who she is and how or when she acquired this experience. Our only clue is her dedication of the book to the staff of the Meriden Public Library. Which Meriden Public Library and when these programs were implemented leave the academic library reader guessing. The author’s enthusiasm for staff development, stated repeatedly throughout the text, suggests that almost every problem in a library can be solved by a staff development program. Equally naive is her assumption that just about any staff member can be used as a trainer. She suggests, for instance, that in developing the overall plan for staff development we should
July 1996 315
evaluate the talents within the library system, for instance, “notice if there is someone who is able to maintain a sense of humor during difficult situations.” However, most of the training topics that she suggests for libraries would require a very skilled trainer to be successful. Calling on busy and reluctant staff members+ven those with wonderful senses of humorto become trainers could easily backfire in terms of overall staff morale. Although a well written book on staff development in public libraries could be of interest and value to academic librarians, this one does not quality for several reasons. First, the author often strays from the topic at hand, and the text tends to ramble from one issue to another; for instance in the middle of a section on selecting trainers (starting on page 25) is a paragraph (page 27) reminding readers that staff development does not occur only in formal learning situations but, as well, in casual discussions with staff members. There is also a problem with duplication of text: what to look for in a trainer and a trainer checklist are covered on pages 28 and 29.; in another chapter, on page 34, is a list of the attributes of an effective trainer. In some cases the text confuses more than it clarifies. The chapter on mentoring does not distinguish between the role of a mentor and the role of a supervisor; for instance, under hints for being a good mentor on page 44 the reader is advised to “know when to give instruction and when to give orders....” Finally, the many forms and handouts included in this volume are so specific to a particular library’s needs that they will be of limited value in another setting. Fortunately, there is a range of recent and relevant books from which academic librarians can learn more about the design, implementation, and evaluation of staff development programs. These include Elizabeth A. Sudduth’s Staff Development & Continuing Education (Chicago: Association of College & Research Libraries, 1994), Joanne M. Bessler’s Putting “Service” into Library Staff Training: A Patron-Centered Guide (Chicago: ALA, 1994), Mary Casteleyn’s Promoting Excellence: Personnel Management and Staff Development in Libraries (London: Bowker Saur, 1993), and the LAMA PAS Staff Development Committee’s Staff Development: A Practical Guide (1992), edited by Anne Lipow and Deborah Carver.-Mickey Zemon, Director, Emerson College Library, 150 Beacon St., Boston, MA 02116. The Upside of Downsizing: Using Library Instruction to Cope, edited by Cheryl LaGuardia, Stella Bentley, & Janet Martorana. New York: Neal-Schuman, 1995. 256~. $39.95. ISBN l-55570-217-1. A clever title is always attractive, and indeed this collection of conference papers is nothing if not upbeat. LaGuardia et al.‘s volume records-apparently verbatim-the day-and-a-half long conference of the same title, apparently held sometime in 1993 (the editors never specify the date). These 20 essays range topically from exploring innovative collaborations in library instruction to suggesting new ideas for teaching librarians to teach. Most of the papers are of moderate length, and the book generally flows easily, with little redundancy. This is an “easy read’ for anyone engaged in library instruction. Library staff interested in tips and ideas for improving their instruction programs will find this volume useful and at times enlightening. However, administrators and staff hoping for discussions of the pitfalls and opportunities of downsizing will be mislead by the title, because the book deals only peripherally
316
The Journal
of Academic
Librarianship
with actual downsizing issues. Most of the contributions at least mention downsizing, yet one feels in most cases that this is only to “fit’‘-somewhat artificially-the theme of the conference; the focus promised by the book’s catchy and distressingly relevant title is largely missing from the volume as a whole. The chapters are consistent enough with one another and the ensemble makes a good resource for bibliographic instruction tips and innovations. The essays are, however, of uneven quality. There appears to have been no rewriting or editing for publication and the copyediting is distractingly poor. While the breezy and informal style of an oral presentation makes at times for lively and amusing reading, this reviewer was somewhat disappointed with the lack of scholarly rigor in the writing. Happily, there are some exceptions: the keynote address by Carla Stoffle (which really addresses downsizing), a piece on alternative instruction models by Janice Simmons-Welburn, and one on minimizing library anxiety by Sherry DeDecker with Lynn Westbrook. Each of these delivers a fascinating and energizing treatment of the notion that library instruction is the gateway of the future for academic libraries and their patrons. The inevitable time-lag of the publishing process blunts the book’s potential for having greater impact. For example, several papers discuss electronic resources, including the Internet, from a perspective already terribly outdated: there is one entire paper on the use of gopher for instructional purposes and another on the impact of CD-ROM’s on library instruction. Papers refer to Internet instruction and resources that rely on the hardware and software of the early 1990s. All this leaves the reader with precious little useful information for today’s World Wide Web and Windows ‘95 environments. On the “upside,” however, several chapters truly deliver very useful ideas for improving library instruction. Bright spots include a discussion of one institution’s use of minority Peer Information Counselors to ease library (or “librarian”) anxiety; The Ohio State University’s “Gateway” workstations to encourage user independence; and the notion of focusing on library instruction for university faculty in order to lighten librarians’ instructional load. While this proceedings lacks a firm hold on its advertised theme, is of uneven quality, and all-too-often falls out of date, it is nonetheless recommended as a source for anyone working actively to improve the quality of library services through instruction. Workable ideas can be gleaned from these essays, and the enthusiastically charged tone of the collection should encourage today’s stressed and stretched public services personnel.-Jessica George, General Reference Librarian, Milner Library, Illinois State University, Campus Box 8900, Normal, 1161790-8900. Value Migration, by Adrian Slywotzky. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1996. 327~. $24.95. ISBN O-87584-632-7. LC 95-20178. For the past 20 years, technology has changed the way in which information is produced and disseminated. As a result of these innovations, the long-term viability and success of libraries as institutions have been called into question. If you are willing to stretch your imagination to translate the for-profit context of this book into the not-for-profit arena of academic libraries, Value Migration demonstrates how the marginalization of traditional library services might actually occur. Slywotzky provides example after example of whole industries that have been redefined when new entrants discover new ways to offer value to customers.
Altman also suggest development of a service quality information system which tells managers how and how well the library serves its customers. Three chapters address practical procedures to create such a system. A short chapter introduces key concepts of survey research and practical procedures for data collection. The authors’ two customer survey instruments are included in the appendices. Two additional chapters discuss responsibilities of service providers to monitor quality improvements, and offer specific instructions and several forms to collect data on such service aspects as, for example, staff interaction, physical surroundings, reshelving time, and the online catalog. This practical guidance is unique in offering librarians a focus on service elements in terms of their responsiveness to customers and by encouraging all library staff to take responsibility for service quality. It highlights many of the principles and techniques directed to build customer satisfaction programs appearing in the business marketing literature, as, for example, are found in the comprehensive, yet concise, AMA Handbook for Customer Satisfaction by Alan Dutka (Lincolnwood, IL: NTC Business Books and the American Marketing Association, 1994). Very readable and informative, Service Quality in Academic Libraries calls both for change toward greater recognition that the customer is critical to service quality, and for leadership to implement this needed shift in approach to managing academic libraries. The only book available within the library literature which currently makes such appeals, this is a strongly recommended introduction for librarians, or text for students, seeking to understand managerial applications from successful business trends. -Danuta A. Nitecki, Associate Director for Public Services, University of Maryland at College Park Libraries, College Park, MD 20742-7011. Successful Staff Development: A How-to-Do-It Manual, by Marcia Trotta. New York: Neal-Schuman, 1995. 112~. $39.95. ISBN l-.55570- 180-9. This volume is designed for public library managers who want to offer ongoing in-house staff development. Staff development is defined as “the ongoing process that orients, trains, and develops, through a systematic approach, each member of a library organization to work together to serve its customers.” Chapter topics range from beginning a staff development program to evaluating staff performance and rewarding effective performance. Needs assessment, characteristics of adult leamers, selection of trainers, mentor relationships, estimation of costs for development programs, and other topics germane to staff development issues are all touched on in these pages. Forms and handouts from the author’s own experience make up a significant portion of the book. The author states that the solutions which she offers for ongoing staff development are based on her successful experiences; however, she never tells us who she is and how or when she acquired this experience. Our only clue is her dedication of the book to the staff of the Meriden Public Library. Which Meriden Public Library and when these programs were implemented leave the academic library reader guessing. The author’s enthusiasm for staff development, stated repeatedly throughout the text, suggests that almost every problem in a library can be solved by a staff development program. Equally naive is her assumption that just about any staff member can be used as a trainer. She suggests, for instance, that in developing the overall plan for staff development we should
July 1996 315
evaluate the talents within the library system, for instance, “notice if there is someone who is able to maintain a sense of humor during difficult situations.” However, most of the training topics that she suggests for libraries would require a very skilled trainer to be successful. Calling on busy and reluctant staff members+ven those with wonderful senses of humorto become trainers could easily backfire in terms of overall staff morale. Although a well written book on staff development in public libraries could be of interest and value to academic librarians, this one does not quality for several reasons. First, the author often strays from the topic at hand, and the text tends to ramble from one issue to another; for instance in the middle of a section on selecting trainers (starting on page 25) is a paragraph (page 27) reminding readers that staff development does not occur only in formal learning situations but, as well, in casual discussions with staff members. There is also a problem with duplication of text: what to look for in a trainer and a trainer checklist are covered on pages 28 and 29.; in another chapter, on page 34, is a list of the attributes of an effective trainer. In some cases the text confuses more than it clarifies. The chapter on mentoring does not distinguish between the role of a mentor and the role of a supervisor; for instance, under hints for being a good mentor on page 44 the reader is advised to “know when to give instruction and when to give orders....” Finally, the many forms and handouts included in this volume are so specific to a particular library’s needs that they will be of limited value in another setting. Fortunately, there is a range of recent and relevant books from which academic librarians can learn more about the design, implementation, and evaluation of staff development programs. These include Elizabeth A. Sudduth’s Staff Development & Continuing Education (Chicago: Association of College & Research Libraries, 1994), Joanne M. Bessler’s Putting “Service” into Library Staff Training: A Patron-Centered Guide (Chicago: ALA, 1994), Mary Casteleyn’s Promoting Excellence: Personnel Management and Staff Development in Libraries (London: Bowker Saur, 1993), and the LAMA PAS Staff Development Committee’s Staff Development: A Practical Guide (1992), edited by Anne Lipow and Deborah Carver.-Mickey Zemon, Director, Emerson College Library, 150 Beacon St., Boston, MA 02116. The Upside of Downsizing: Using Library Instruction to Cope, edited by Cheryl LaGuardia, Stella Bentley, & Janet Martorana. New York: Neal-Schuman, 1995. 256~. $39.95. ISBN l-55570-217-1. A clever title is always attractive, and indeed this collection of conference papers is nothing if not upbeat. LaGuardia et al.‘s volume records-apparently verbatim-the day-and-a-half long conference of the same title, apparently held sometime in 1993 (the editors never specify the date). These 20 essays range topically from exploring innovative collaborations in library instruction to suggesting new ideas for teaching librarians to teach. Most of the papers are of moderate length, and the book generally flows easily, with little redundancy. This is an “easy read’ for anyone engaged in library instruction. Library staff interested in tips and ideas for improving their instruction programs will find this volume useful and at times enlightening. However, administrators and staff hoping for discussions of the pitfalls and opportunities of downsizing will be mislead by the title, because the book deals only peripherally
316
The Journal
of Academic
Librarianship
with actual downsizing issues. Most of the contributions at least mention downsizing, yet one feels in most cases that this is only to “fit’‘-somewhat artificially-the theme of the conference; the focus promised by the book’s catchy and distressingly relevant title is largely missing from the volume as a whole. The chapters are consistent enough with one another and the ensemble makes a good resource for bibliographic instruction tips and innovations. The essays are, however, of uneven quality. There appears to have been no rewriting or editing for publication and the copyediting is distractingly poor. While the breezy and informal style of an oral presentation makes at times for lively and amusing reading, this reviewer was somewhat disappointed with the lack of scholarly rigor in the writing. Happily, there are some exceptions: the keynote address by Carla Stoffle (which really addresses downsizing), a piece on alternative instruction models by Janice Simmons-Welburn, and one on minimizing library anxiety by Sherry DeDecker with Lynn Westbrook. Each of these delivers a fascinating and energizing treatment of the notion that library instruction is the gateway of the future for academic libraries and their patrons. The inevitable time-lag of the publishing process blunts the book’s potential for having greater impact. For example, several papers discuss electronic resources, including the Internet, from a perspective already terribly outdated: there is one entire paper on the use of gopher for instructional purposes and another on the impact of CD-ROM’s on library instruction. Papers refer to Internet instruction and resources that rely on the hardware and software of the early 1990s. All this leaves the reader with precious little useful information for today’s World Wide Web and Windows ‘95 environments. On the “upside,” however, several chapters truly deliver very useful ideas for improving library instruction. Bright spots include a discussion of one institution’s use of minority Peer Information Counselors to ease library (or “librarian”) anxiety; The Ohio State University’s “Gateway” workstations to encourage user independence; and the notion of focusing on library instruction for university faculty in order to lighten librarians’ instructional load. While this proceedings lacks a firm hold on its advertised theme, is of uneven quality, and all-too-often falls out of date, it is nonetheless recommended as a source for anyone working actively to improve the quality of library services through instruction. Workable ideas can be gleaned from these essays, and the enthusiastically charged tone of the collection should encourage today’s stressed and stretched public services personnel.-Jessica George, General Reference Librarian, Milner Library, Illinois State University, Campus Box 8900, Normal, 1161790-8900. Value Migration, by Adrian Slywotzky. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1996. 327~. $24.95. ISBN O-87584-632-7. LC 95-20178. For the past 20 years, technology has changed the way in which information is produced and disseminated. As a result of these innovations, the long-term viability and success of libraries as institutions have been called into question. If you are willing to stretch your imagination to translate the for-profit context of this book into the not-for-profit arena of academic libraries, Value Migration demonstrates how the marginalization of traditional library services might actually occur. Slywotzky provides example after example of whole industries that have been redefined when new entrants discover new ways to offer value to customers.